Match Hands Start

Spring 2025 Den Team

Hello, my name is Charlie Boye. I’m a senior at Gettysburg College, studying Computer Science and Data Science. I'm also deeply passionate about climbing—I’m the president of the Climbing Club and the coordinator of the climbing space on campus, known as The Den.

My love for all things climbing began in elementary school, where I’d constantly scale anything I could find (and often get in trouble for it). That instinct carried into middle school, with growing enthusiasm for tree and building climbing. Eventually, my parents grew frustrated with the amount of trouble I was getting into, and around that same time, a new rock climbing gym opened just a few miles from our house.

Onsight Rock Gym Local Competition 2018

I started officially rock climbing as a freshman in high school, and I quickly fell in love with it. The photo above is from my very first rock climbing competition. I initially joined the non-competitive team at the gym just to try it out, but I quickly outgrew that and wanted to start competing.

Once I began climbing competitively, I started seeing major improvements, and my love for the sport grew even more. I was attending team practices three times a week and going to the gym on my own at least two more days, because I couldn’t get enough.

Triangle Rock Club - Raleigh Rampage Competition 2018 

This all continued until 2020 when I could no longer access the gym due to the pandemic. I decided to leave the team, which marked the start of a hiatus from climbing. When I chose to attend Gettysburg College, I knew there was a climbing wall on campus, but after being away from the sport for so long, I wasn’t as strong as I used to be and felt discouraged.

My First Climbing Club Practice

In the spring semester of 2023, the Climbing Club was founded at Gettysburg, and I joined right away. It felt amazing to be climbing again and to connect with new people through the sport. I became increasingly involved in the club—starting as Risk Manager and eventually becoming President.

Me at the top of The Original Route – Mt. Gretna – 22 ft

In the fall of 2024, the Climbing Club was officially recognized as a Club Sport instead of a social club. This change meant that employees at The Den no longer had to be part of the Garthwait Leadership Center (GLC). I applied for a job as a Den Attendant and got it. Later, in spring 2025, the Climbing Wall Coordinator position became available—I applied and was fortunate to get that role as well.

This has been a rough roadmap of my journey with climbing and the responsibilities I now hold regarding The Den. The title of this post, "Match Hands Start," is a common phrase found on the start tag of climbs in The Den, indicating that a climber must begin with both hands on the same hold. I chose it as the title because it reflects how my own climbing journey started—with both hands on the wall and a lot of passion in my heart.